


Signature

by notboldly



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-04
Updated: 2012-12-04
Packaged: 2017-11-20 05:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/582010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notboldly/pseuds/notboldly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kotetsu had signed autographs before, but that was another thing that changed when Barnaby became his partner for the second time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Signature

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aliceblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliceblue/gifts).



Signature

****

The first time Kotetsu had ever been asked for his autograph had been shortly after Tomoe realized she was pregnant, and Kotetsu had been riding the high of _fatherhood_ almost too much to notice the occasion. It had been a boy who asked, a short kid with a ball cap passing him on the sidewalk and tugging on his vest for attention, something Kotetsu found startling enough that he nearly stumbled. The boy couldn't have been more than twelve, and his hands shook as he held out the trading card and pen, smiling a gap toothed smile when Kotetsu accepted it with a flush luckily hidden by his mask. Although Kotetsu had been expecting the request for months with all the arrogance of Sternbild's top hero, the reality—that he was famous, that he was doing good, that he was a _hero_ —was a bit beyond what he'd anticipated. 

In the end, his hands trembled just slightly, making his hero name of _Wild Tiger_ come out looking far different than his signature on all of his Justice Bureau paperwork. When the boy squealed and attracted the attention of others who immediately recognized him as Top MaG's hero, Kotetsu found himself swarmed with adoring fans. Some people would have found it annoying, he was sure, but Kotetsu basked under the attention and signed every single thing they pushed at him, no matter how minor. All considered, he was stuck there in the middle of the sidewalk for over an hour, until his legs were stiff and the sky went dark and Hero TV was set to air.

The event—his first public signing—was broadcast on television on slow news days after that, and Kotetsu kept a recording of it at his house for days when he got low, when he thought the pain of being away from his family was too great. While he was the top hero and for even a few months after that, he always carried a pen on him just in case, and he took pride in the fact that people, usually children, would occasionally stop him on the street. He took pride in the fact that his efforts would help them to live long enough to grow into adults, and it helped him as the years passed and he aged in mind, spirit, and body.

By the time Kaede was eight, people had stopped asking for his autograph. Kotetsu, however, still carried a pen. Just in case.

****

Kotetsu had been a part of Hero TV long enough to expect the attention, but after the mess with Maverick and Wild Tiger's subsequent return to practical anonymity, he had thought it would have died down a little. With fewer flashy crimes, smaller crimes, the viewing numbers had dropped enough to make Hero TV lose its first place slot among the ratings. Contrary to Maverick's words, the show manfully held onto the second place slot, but the combination of expenses and lost audience meant that the second rung heroes never made enough of a profit to warrant showing. Kotetsu had expected, naturally, that autograph signings and mobs of fans were a thing of the past.

Then Barnaby came back, and Kotetsu remember just how _popular_ he had been. It was enough to make him jealous underneath the relief at having a partner again, but more importantly, it was enough to remind him that despite working as a team, Barnaby had always appealed to a different audience. Wild Tiger was widely considered a children's hero, a crusher for justice. Barnaby…not so much.

Kotetsu wasn't sure whether he should be embarrassed or not as he stood in the background of the flock of teenage girls, but when Barnaby turned, smiled, and asked him for his pen, Kotetsu got a good look at what he was signing. Embarrassment didn't begin to cover it, nor did his mask.

When Barnaby's fans finally left, Kotetsu turned to him with an appalled expression.

"I can't believe you signed that."

Barnaby shrugged, the motion lifting his shoulder armor just slightly but with a telling clink.

"Why? She asked me to."

He seemed remarkably unbothered by it as they hobbled down the street, their pace determined by Barnaby's still-active Good Luck Mode. Kotetsu couldn't fathom his lack of reaction, not when Kotetsu couldn't seem to fight down the awkwardness. 

"Yes, but… _that_ , Bunny. I knew they existed, but…"

Barnaby shot him a curious look.

"Is this the first time you've ever seen a yaoi doujinshi?"

Kotetsu sputtered, waving his hands in defense, in denial. Barnaby looked more amused with each passing second.

"Don't tell me you have!" Kotetsu pointed an accusing finger at him, one of the ones on his still-oversized fist, but Barnaby just shrugged again.

"They were making them about me when I was still at the academy. Besides, it's not up to me to interfere with anyone's fantasy life."

Kotetsu grasped for something to say that wouldn't make him seem outdated, or un-hip. That wasn't the point, anyway—he would have expected _Barnaby_ to end up in those sorts of things.

"Yes, but…with _me_?"

Barnaby smirked.

"Don't worry, old man. I'd be gentle."

"Che, _old man_. I'll box your ears for that."

"Like you could catch me," Barnaby replied, patting Kotetsu companionably on the shoulder when he didn't respond. "Don't worry, Kotetsu—nobody's asking you to read them."

"That's not the point," Kotetsu grumbled, but he was still blushing, he knew it. "Just…I don't understand why." Maybe it was because he was old-fashioned, but he hadn't been able to understand teenagers for years. It was a problem; Kaede would be turning twelve soon.

"It's not _that_ confusing." Barnaby sounded a little annoyed and a little offended, because he took these things personally. Kotetsu thumped a fist against his shoulder as they walked, and Barnaby didn't shrug it off; apparently this time it wasn't that bad.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the quiet peaceful enough. When Barnaby turned down an unknown street, Kotetsu followed him; Barnaby had always had a better sense of direction, and he probably had the benefit of actually knowing where Saito's van _was_.

Kotetsu waited, and Barnaby sighed.

"It's because you call me 'bunny.'"

"Not on camera!" Kotetsu protested, but the defense—the extreme effort on Kotetsu's part, really—was barely acknowledged.

"That's worse," Barnaby confirmed. "When people only hear it sometimes, they assume it's a private joke—"

"It _is_ a private joke."

"—or a pet name."

"Well, it's not." Kotetsu thought about it. "Kind of. Maybe." Barnaby shot him a look that said _you see?_ , and Kotetsu was struck by the humor in the situation. "You're impossible. I still can't believe you signed it."

"Like I said, it's not so bad." Barnaby shot him a sidelong look, considering. "Besides, I've seen worse pairings."

Kotetsu took it as the backhanded compliment it was. _What the hell,_ he thought. He could think of worse pairings too, and he was nothing if not adaptable. He doubted it would come up again, in any case, and Kotetsu hugged him just for the hell of it, one arm slung across his shoulders as they walked.

The resulting picture ended up in one of the seedier gossip magazines. Barnaby signed that too.

****

End


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